Highlights and points: Lakers 96-103 Timberwolves in NBA

Off we go! This was the coverage of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves for the fifth game of the playoffs.

 

Rudy is COOKING.

18 PTS /10 REB for Ru. 😤 pic.twitter.com/fgzS3OILJO

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025

GROWN MAN STRENGTH. pic.twitter.com/Yc52j5dHlm

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025

RUDY GOBERT IS UNCONCIOUS. pic.twitter.com/K4u7Xl2abp

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025

The game at the Crypto.com Arena ended. The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 103-96 and, with four wins in this series, qualified for the next round of the playoffs.

The final minute is played at the Crypton.com Arena. If the Timberwolves manage to defend this lead until the end, they will not only win the game, but also advance to the next round of the playoffs. 94-100

After a minute and a half of inaccuracies from both teams, the home team ended the drought and pulled away slightly in the final stretch. Randle scored a double for the Timberwolves. 88-93

The visitors are on a run, closing in on 100 points. McDaniels' free throws and Gobert's double give the Timberwolves an 88-91 lead over the Lakers.

They regained the lead again. The intense start to this fourth quarter saw many swings in the score, and for the third time, the Timberwolves took the lead, 85-87.

The visitors regained the lead after a few difficult seconds. Handle scored a double, giving the Timberwolves an 82-84 lead after Hachimura equalized for the Lakers.

A solitary point pulls the visitors away at the start of the fourth quarter. With Reid's free throw, the Timberwolves narrowly increased their lead over the Lakers. 80-82

The final quarter of the night begins in Los Angeles. The Lakers, after a great comeback that they couldn't defend until the end, will look to grab a win to stay alive this season.

The third quarter ended at Crypto.com Arena. Despite the Lakers' efforts, who managed to turn the score around for a few seconds on two occasions, the Timberwolves closed the period with a double that put them ahead 80-81.

The home team regains the lead. Finney-Smith's three-pointer gave the Lakers the lead, but the Timberwolves quickly equalized. However, a free throw from James gave them back the lead, 80-79.

The home side continues to close the gap on the Timberwolves. Hachimura's double followed Doncic's triple, bringing the Lakers within two points with little time left in the quarter. 75-77

Offense and counterattack that keeps the lead in check. The Lakers are looking to turn the score around, while the Timberwolves try to keep it in their favor. Both teams scored five points in the final minute. 68-73

Back to within five points. After a very intense and volatile first half, the Lakers took the initiative in the third quarter and cut the lead to just five points after James' double. 61-66

Great start for the home team, looking for a win at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers scored seven points in the final two minutes to the Timberwolves' three. 56-62

Once again, the first blow of the night goes to the home team, who take a step forward in the third quarter. James scored a double for the Lakers and reached 12 points. 51-59

The third quarter begins at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers will look to turn things around in the second half against a Timberwolves team that dominated the previous half.

 

11 QUICK POINTS FOR RU. pic.twitter.com/eHvEmHhT5W

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025

man on a mission. https://t.co/EgcwguN7Jo pic.twitter.com/ekcYM9zIYd

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025

OUI OUI pic.twitter.com/wogrcNtZ9O

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025

The first half ended at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers' improved form brought them close, but the Timberwolves still held the lead at the end of the second quarter. 49-59

The final minute of the first half is played with the visitors holding the lead. Despite the Lakers' efforts to tie the score before halftime, the score, albeit by a smaller margin, remains in favor of the Timberwolves. 47-55

The visitors' strong run continues, pulling away before halftime. In the final minute and a half, the Timberwolves scored nine points to the Lakers' two. The score is 43-53.

Third consecutive three-pointer for the visitors, who don't want the lead to be too small. First Conley, then Alexander-Walker, and now DiVicenzo put the Timberwolves away. 41-47

First barrage of three-pointers of the night for Los Angeles. Two from Hachimura for the Lakers, and Alexander-Walker and Conley did the same for the Timberwolves in this stretch of the game. 37-44

The home team is approaching, not wanting to be eliminated at home. The Lakers had a strong run in this start that the Timberwolves couldn't counter, and they closed the gap on the scoreboard. 34-36

They want to turn things around, and they've shown it from the opening seconds of this quarter. James hit a double to give the Lakers the opening blow before halftime. 24-31

The second quarter begins at Crypto.com Arena. After a first period in which the Timberwolves held a significant lead, the Lakers will look to turn it around before halftime.

The first quarter ended in Los Angeles. The Timberwolves took the lead and accelerated in search of a big win against a Lakers team that still couldn't react. 22-31

The home team didn't give up and added a few points before the end. With just over a minute left in the first quarter, James added a two-pointer and Kleber made two free throws for the Lakers. 19-29

The visitors respond to take another ten-point lead over the home team. After Reaves' three-pointer for the Lakers, the Timberwolves responded with two free throws from Alexander-Walker. 14-25

The visitors' first small three-point streak doubled their opponent's points. After Randel's long-range shot, DiVicenzo did the same to put the Timberwolves ahead. 9-18   

The visitors pull away again. The Lakers' comeback left them very close to their opponent, but the Timberwolves responded and took a significant early lead. 5-12    

A small response from the home team, who scored their first points of the night in Los Angeles. Doncic's two free throws scored the first points for the Lakers, who are slowly closing in. 2-6

The first blow of the night came in Los Angeles, and it came from the visitors, who are looking for a fourth win to qualify. The Timberwolves take the lead thanks to Randel's double. 0-2

The first quarter begins. The Los Angeles Lakers face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.

The players are already on the court ready to kick off Game 5 of the 2024/25 NBA playoffs. The visitors are coming off a home win and will advance with another victory.

For the Lakers, after a poor start to the series, they will need to win the remaining three games, two of which will be at home. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, will need just one win in any of their three games to advance to the next round.

Before changing in the locker room, the teams are already on the court to go through pre-game movements before the match.
The players are practicing three-point shooting to fine-tune their aim for tonight's game.

For the visiting team, the coach will repeat the same starting lineup he used in Game 4 a few days ago. There will be no changes.

the five for Game 5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/TPMC4dm9yP

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2025

For Game 5, the coach made only one change to the starting lineup compared to the previous game. Jaxson Hayes came in for Dorian Finney-Smith.

Tonight’s starters @ToyotaSoCal | #SuitingUpTogether pic.twitter.com/Ei9XkzWMb3

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 1, 2025

JJ Redick said: "You don't think about winning three, you just think about getting the next one. That's all that matters, because if not, the offseason begins. It all revolves around Wednesday. I would describe us as 'on the edge,' as it should be."

The last game was in Game 4 of these playoffs, in Minnesota, where the home team won 116 to 113.

Meanwhile, in the 2023/24 season, the Timberwolves finished in third place, much better than they are now, finishing sixth in the regular season. First, they eliminated the Suns, then the Nuggets, but lost 4-1 to Dallas in the Western Conference finals.

Last season in the NBA, the Lakers had a poor performance and, unlike now, finished third, they had finished in seventh place. They eliminated the Pelicans in the playoffs, but then lost to the Nuggets in the playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder 4-0 Memphis Grizzlies
Denver Nuggets 3-2 Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers 1-3 Minnesota Timberwolves
Houston Rockets 1-3 Golden State Warriors

Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers 4-1 Milwaukee Bucks
New York Knicks 3-2 Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics 4-1 Orlando Magic

Don't miss the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the 2024/25 NBA playoffs. The visiting team is coming off a home win and will advance with another victory.

We will soon share with you the starting lineups for Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves live, as well as the latest information from Crypto.com Arena. Don't miss a single detail of the live game update and commentary from VAVEL's coverage.

The Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves game will not be broadcasted live on TV, so you can watch it with the NBA Season PASS. But if you intend to watch it online, VAVEL is your best option to do so.

Here are the schedules of the different countries where you can watch the game:
Argentina: 11:00 p.m.
Bolivia: 10:00 p.m.
Brazil: 11:00 p.m.
Chile: 10:00 p.m.
Colombia: 9:00 p.m.
Ecuador: 9:00 p.m.
USA (ET): 10:00 p.m.
Spain: 4:00 a.m.
Mexico: 9:00 p.m.
Paraguay: 10:00 p.m.
Peru: 9:00 p.m.
Uruguay: 11:00 p.m.
Venezuela: 10:00 p.m.

Anthony Edawrds, the team's most important player in the regular season, will be looking to be decisive again to increase his personal tally and lead the team's statistics. The shooting guard is first in points (27.6), minutes per game (36:20), free throw percentage (84%(5.3) and three-pointers (320). In addition, he is second in assists (4.5). In these playoffs he records 119 points, 31 rebounds and 23 assists.

Luka Doncic, since his arrival, has become one of the team's most dominant players in a very short period of time and is a leader in many of the Lakers' overall statistics. The 26-year-old forward-shooting guard is first in points (28.2), rebounds (8.2), minutes per game (35:22), defensive rebounds (7.4) and steals (1.8). In addition, he is second in assists (7.7), double-doubles (21) and triple-doubles (5). In these playoffs he records 123 points, 28 rebounds and 20 assists.

These two franchises have met 133 times over the years in NBA regular season games since their first meeting on December 20, 1989. Of the total, the Lakers have won 87, while the Timberwolves have won the remaining 46, leaving a difference of 41 meetings. The last meeting was in Game 4 of these playoffs and, in Minnesota, the home team won 116-113.

On the other hand, the Minnesota franchise started strong at home, won the victory to start this series and, although they lost the second game, they are coming from two consecutive wins at home to be just one step away from qualifying to the next round. The performances have been very good and were accompanied by positive results. With this score in the series, they have three chances to eliminate their rival.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles franchise lost again and it is already three losses in this playoff series, so this game will be essential to stay alive this season. They lost the first one, won the second one to even it up, but they are coming from two consecutive losses and will need to be strong at home to close the gap and go for everything in the sixth game to tie the series. The performance was not bad, but it slipped away again due to details.

The match between Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA 24/25 regular season will take place at the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Center, is a multipurpose venue located in the city of Los Angeles, in California. It is one of the most modern and luxurious in the world, located on Figueroa Avenue. It was entirely privately financed, having a final cost of 375 million dollars.

Hello everyone! Welcome to the live broadcast, Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves corresponding to the NBA regular season 24/25.

My name is Gianluca Pantano and I will be hosting the game. We will bring you pregame analysis, score updates and live news here on VAVEL.